


They Have To Take You In

by chase_acow



Category: Mercy Thompson Series – Patricia Briggs
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 22:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chase_acow/pseuds/chase_acow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben needs a place to stay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	They Have To Take You In

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rachael Sabotini (wickedwords)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedwords/gifts).



Fucking airports, same bloody nuisance no matter what side of the fucking planet a person was on. Ben held his breath until he passed through the tunnel from the airplane. He got stuck behind some American cow and her three sticky children while everyone scurried around them. Somehow he avoided bumping into anyone as he avoided the line wending back from baggage claim. All he had was his rucksack; they hadn't even let him keep his laptop.

Serve them right when they found his porn folder.

A pair of security guards with bellies sagging over their buckles watched the crowd, but Ben kept his head ducked, melting into the crowd. The last thing he wanted was more attention. His wolf snarled, and he tightened his hold on his bag. Normally, they lived together well, but the past few weeks had pecked away at his control, and this exile had been the last straw. His old pack might not have wanted him, but at least he'd been home.

His stomach rumbled, tight against his ribcage. His Alpha had given him enough money to make it to Washington with a layover in New York. Unfortunately, there had been an unscheduled stop in Denver that had taken the last of his allowance. The peanuts and soft drink he'd bolted on the plane had only made his nerves worse.

The Columbia Basin Pack hadn't been very impressed with the delay, but the man he'd spoken to had said that someone would meet him. Ben's Alpha had told him to _sit_ and _stay_ , the last orders Ben would have to follow from that crazy sonofabitch, but he still found the first bench outside in the fresh air to park his arse.

Five hours later a beat up Jeep pulled up and honked its horn.

 _Welcome to the rest of your life, Benny buddy,_ he thought to himself.

 

* * *

 

It wasn't so much that Adam forgot him as that Adam was so angry at Mercy that he didn't have room for anything else. Ben ransacked Adam's kitchen for enough food to feed an army of wolves, and then made himself scarce. Paul was still touchy about Ben getting in a lucky strike earlier when he'd thought that ending it was better than taking one more breath. Though really, he'd been on the outs from before when he'd started hanging out with Warren without Adam's orders.

He really didn't feel any great loss at being shunned by the power scramblers of the pack. His Alpha had his back, and that was enough.

His ears rang in the sudden silence before he realized that he'd parked and turned off his truck. It wasn't his neighborhood, but it was probably more familiar after the last several weeks. He wasn't looking forward to cleaning out his refrigerator after spending so much time as a wolf. The engine hissed and popped as it cooled down, and his fingers cramped from the death grip he had on the steering wheel.

The buzzing of his cell startled him enough that he picked it up and answered before he thought better.

"You comin' in or what?" Warren's low voice drawled.

Ben's gut cramped around the lump of raw meat he'd eaten earlier, and for all the trouble his smart mouth usually got him into, he couldn't think of anything to say.

Something rustled on Warren's end, and then he sighed. "Kyle's on a Val Kilmer kick so we're watching Batman Forever and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. There's plenty of beer, popcorn, and room on the sofa. Come in whenever you're ready."

The phone went silent, and Ben finally took a breath. He could turn the ignition, go home to his silent apartment and sleep for a week like his body wanted after pushing too hard today. Instead, he pushed open his truck's door and walked up the front sidewalk. Cheesy soundtrack music filtered from inside, but below that he could hear Warren and Kyle murmuring together. It sounded intimate. It sounded –

The door opened, but Kyle's thin frame blocked out most the light. "Hey, stranger, all the good spots are going to be taken if you don't hurry," he said, flirting with his tone but promising with his body.

He nearly bolted again, but Warren's voice grabbed him, "Kyle, give him some room. Ben, come in."

Ducking his head, Ben slid by Kyle and into their home. Warren stood, putting his head higher than Ben's, somehow knowing that Ben and his wolf needed a little support and giving it without question. He jerked his head toward the couch and Ben sank down gratefully, slouching into the cushions. Already, he felt better.

"So, Mercy's okay then?" Kyle asked, waiting until Warren sat down before curling gracefully against his other side. Warren wrapped an arm around his boyfriend and turned to listen.

"For now at least," Ben said, toeing his shoes off and tucking his feet up on the couch. He leaned into Warren, but only relaxed when Warren didn't make any move to shove him off. "I wouldn't bet on it after Adam gets done chewing her ass."

Warren shrugged as he reached for the remote to restart the movie, and then settled the popcorn on Ben's leg. "Adam's not mad. That boy's just scared Mercy'll get her fool self eaten before he has a chance to woo her right," he rumbled, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.

"It'll take more than red wine and white roses to woo Mercy," Kyle said, reaching into the popcorn bowl.

"Some men woo differently," Warren chuckled. He stretched until his back popped and then sighed aloud, relaxing more of his weight against Ben. "Mark my words, Adam will have her in bed sooner rather than later."

Kyle shushed them, gesturing at the TV, "Val's nipples are coming up, and they deserve our complete attention."

Ben was just as glad to stare at the movie and let the colors wash over him without thinking about much at all. The pain of losing control to the demon felt far away with Warren and Kyle so close. He could feel Warren's content humming through the pack bond, and just to be on the outside looking in made him feel better.

After so many changes too closely together, he couldn't keep up with the movie and eventually just let his eyes close as his head thumped on the back of the couch. He evened out his breathing and just let himself drift for a while. He'd spent so much time already with the other two men that he could let his guard down with them.

"Is he going to be okay now?" Kyle whispered after they'd switched movies, obviously trying to be quiet but clear to Ben's ears even over the hum of the air conditioner.

"Right as rain in a few more weeks," Warren answered, rubbing his hand over Ben's leg. That easy contact was something that Ben hadn't known that he'd wanted until he'd been exiled here from London. Not that he looked on it as an exile anymore. "Mercy got him over the hardest hurdle, but his wolf is strong and wants to survive."

"I thought his wolf was attacking other werewolves trying to kill himself?" Kyle asked slowly, and Ben wanted to cringe. He should have realized that even Kyle would hear about his failures. "Isn't that what that woman told you?"

Warren's grip on Ben's leg tightened enough that Ben almost roused himself, but a second later Warren relaxed again. "That was Ben not his wolf. If his wolf had wanted to die, he would have attacked Darryl or Adam not Paul while he was still smarting from the beat down I gave him," he said. "Only Paul would be obnoxious enough to take offense at it after the fact."

Ben didn't catch whatever Kyle said in return. His body decided that he'd finally had enough and fell into a deep and thankfully dreamless sleep. He'd had enough nightmares since Mercy had pulled their bacon out of the fire again.

When Ben woke up, it was to a steady beat in his ear and a hand on the back of his neck. The room was cool, but underneath the sheet, his body pressed against another creating a cocoon of warmth. Someone had pulled off his socks and shirt, leaving him in a pair of sweatpants. The elastic at the bottom had rolled halfway up his shins, a small irritation in an otherwise heavenly situation.

"You two stick closer than burrs on a saddle blanket," Warren said softly, his fingers scratching lightly though Ben's hair. He smelled like cinnamon and woodsmoke, and Ben couldn't help rubbing his nose under Warren's jaw.

"Saddle blankets don't talk," Kyle muttered, a yawn breaking off his last syllable. The bed shifted as he rolled over, and Ben felt a hand land on his bare shoulder. "But you're both better than space heaters, so shut up and let me in the middle if I can't have my blanket."

After a little maneuvering, Kyle just crawled over Warren and settled on his side facing Ben. Without hesitating at all, he curled his arm around Ben's hip and tugged him closer. Kyle hadn't even opened his eyes as he instantly fell back asleep with his forehead pressed against Ben's chin.

Ben winced waiting for Warren to blow up, but he just felt Warren's knuckles against his chest as Warren draped his arm over Kyle.

"Go back to sleep, Ben. We'll still be here when you wake up."


End file.
